Tuesday July 14, 2009
Why Are Americans So Fat?
The New Yorker takes on this question. "In just ten years, they showed, Americans had collectively gained more than a billion pounds. 'If this was about tuberculosis, it would be called an epidemic,' another researcher wrote in an editorial accompanying the report." Wade through the Darwinian stuff and there is some interesting information.
Broken Down House
Over at Discerning Reader, Mark Tubbs has a review of Paul David Tripp's Broken Down House. "Broken-Down House is a book for everyone and everything. Everyone in that no one is exempt from its message, and everything in that there is not a single aspect of the human condition (that I could think of) absent from this book. Even more importantly, it is a piece of work whose cornerstone is Christ, and whose chief architect is God himself. Read it and weep, read it and rejoice."
More Stimulus!
George F. Will has a good op-ed in the Washington Post. He points out "...a $168 billion stimulus -- this was Stimulus I -- would be the "booster shot" the economy needed. Unemployment then was 4.8 percent. ... In January, the Obama administration, shiny as a new dime and bursting with brains, said that unless another stimulus -- Stimulus II wound up involving $787 billion -- was passed immediately, unemployment, which then was 7.6 percent, would reach 9 percent by 2010. But halfway through 2009, the rate is 9.5."
Marvin Olasky on Francis Collins
Olasky writes about Francis Collins, Obama's pick to head the National Institutes of Health. " Let's be clear here: Collins is not an atheist like many Darwinians. He told the New Yorkers that "atheism is the least rational of all the choices." He's not a deist: He believes not only that God got the ball rolling, but that miracles can happen, although not very often. He believes in Christ's resurrection. But he doesn't seem to have a high view of Scripture, which is where we primarily learn about Christ's resurrection."
Deal of the Day: Give Praise to God
Ligonier is offering a good discount on Give Praise to God. "In this volume, contributors including Edmund Clowney, Mark Dever, J. Ligon Duncan, R. Albert Mohler, and others explore various aspects of worship. They discuss the regulative principle, the sacraments, expository preaching, music, public worship, private worship, and they call the church to always conform her worship to the Word of God."
The New Yorker takes on this question. "In just ten years, they showed, Americans had collectively gained more than a billion pounds. 'If this was about tuberculosis, it would be called an epidemic,' another researcher wrote in an editorial accompanying the report." Wade through the Darwinian stuff and there is some interesting information.
Broken Down House
Over at Discerning Reader, Mark Tubbs has a review of Paul David Tripp's Broken Down House. "Broken-Down House is a book for everyone and everything. Everyone in that no one is exempt from its message, and everything in that there is not a single aspect of the human condition (that I could think of) absent from this book. Even more importantly, it is a piece of work whose cornerstone is Christ, and whose chief architect is God himself. Read it and weep, read it and rejoice."
More Stimulus!
George F. Will has a good op-ed in the Washington Post. He points out "...a $168 billion stimulus -- this was Stimulus I -- would be the "booster shot" the economy needed. Unemployment then was 4.8 percent. ... In January, the Obama administration, shiny as a new dime and bursting with brains, said that unless another stimulus -- Stimulus II wound up involving $787 billion -- was passed immediately, unemployment, which then was 7.6 percent, would reach 9 percent by 2010. But halfway through 2009, the rate is 9.5."
Marvin Olasky on Francis Collins
Olasky writes about Francis Collins, Obama's pick to head the National Institutes of Health. " Let's be clear here: Collins is not an atheist like many Darwinians. He told the New Yorkers that "atheism is the least rational of all the choices." He's not a deist: He believes not only that God got the ball rolling, but that miracles can happen, although not very often. He believes in Christ's resurrection. But he doesn't seem to have a high view of Scripture, which is where we primarily learn about Christ's resurrection."
Deal of the Day: Give Praise to God
Ligonier is offering a good discount on Give Praise to God. "In this volume, contributors including Edmund Clowney, Mark Dever, J. Ligon Duncan, R. Albert Mohler, and others explore various aspects of worship. They discuss the regulative principle, the sacraments, expository preaching, music, public worship, private worship, and they call the church to always conform her worship to the Word of God."
Comments (12) »
1. J.P.H.
July 14, 2009
9:24 AM
Not having read the article yet, here are what I think are the reasons for American obesity:
1. “Eating out” has gotten cheaper over time, leading to more people eating out. Restaurant food (fast food or not) is almost never as healthy as what you get at home. Cultural changes (e.g. more families where all the adults work) have also contributed to this phenomenon.
2. A smaller percentage of the population (compared to years past) burns calories as part of their job. In other words there is less “free” (as in “you don’t have to set aside extra time”) exercise taking place.
3. When Americans do eat out, portion sizes are bigger than they’ve ever been before. People have a psychological tendency to try to finish whatever is set before them.
4. Demographics. Certain ethnicities are genetically predisposed to carry more weight (compared to Western European caucasians) given a fixed caloric intake. Afaik, the percentage of the American population represented by these ethnicities has increased over time.
It’s worth noting that this is also an international trend. If I remember correctly, the UK and Mexico have experienced similar weight booms in the last 20 years.
2. J.P.H.
July 14, 2009
9:27 AM
Another demographic trend to consider:
The percentage of the population made up by middle-aged and elderly individuals has probably also increased over time, and those individuals are more likely than the young to be overweight.
3. Chris Brauns
July 14, 2009
9:49 AM
I posted my answer to the, “Why are we so fat?” question over at my place. (See here). Surely, Proverbs 29:18 gives us the beginning of an answer. Paraphrased, “When God’s Word is not proclaimed, people throw off self-control.”
4. Chris Brauns
July 14, 2009
9:50 AM
I posted my answer to the, “Why are we so fat?” question over at my place. (See here). Surely, Proverbs 29:18 gives us the beginning of an answer. Paraphrased, “When God’s Word is not proclaimed, people throw off self-control.”
5. J.P.H.
July 14, 2009
12:14 PM
Chris, I don’t think self-control is the issue here. It may be the issue for a given individual, but I don’t think it explains the overall trend.
You’re essentially arguing that today’s Americans exercise a lot less self-control (with respect to food) than did Americans 20 or 30 years ago. Were the Americans of the 1980s so much more self-controlled than today’s Americans? Did they in fact want to overindulge to the extent we see today, but held themselves back out of sheer will? I just don’t see it.
6. pentamom
July 14, 2009
12:36 PM
Epidemic is just the wrong word, though. Epidemic implies that some concerted, communal effort is needed to protect individuals from infection.
But barring underlying health and genetic issues, which have little explanatory value for a widespread increase in weight, “infection” from obesity is entirely within the control of the individual. Though economics and demographics do play a role and need to be considered when considering how a person might exert that control, the choice to eat out, eat better, be more active, what have you, is still an individual choice that cannot be confounded by someone sneezing on you.
As to JPH’s comment, that no doubt plays a role, but I have noticed how common — perhaps even “normative” — extra poundage is now among children, teenagers and twenty-somethings, a situation that I don’t think was the case a generation back.
7. pentamom
July 14, 2009
12:39 PM
JPH, there’s another way to look at the “self-control” argument. Perhaps people in the past didn’t exercise more self-control — perhaps, as your other points illustrate, they were not significantly more self-controlled now, but it didn’t matter as much due to economic and social trends. Now that it matters more, we see the lack of self-control manifesting itself.
So “loss of self-control” might not be valid, but “lack of self-control” still could be. I don’t’ think you want to argue the opposite — that we are ourselves, and live among, a particularly self-controlled people and that self-control simply can’t be part the equation..
8. Laz
July 14, 2009
1:25 PM
Regarding Olasky’s piece…
I’ve often wondered how theistic evolutionists can mesh the seemingly random nature postulated by the General Theory of Evolution (GTE). Currently re-reading Knowing God and Packer’s thoughts on Ecclesiastes jumped out at me,
Has this been used by theistic evolutionists in their discourses?
9. J.P.H.
July 14, 2009
2:41 PM
Pentamom-
Yeah, that’s my point. It isn’t that we’ve seen an increase in “lack of self-control”, it’s that we’ve seen an increase in opportunities for people to indulge their already-present lack of self-control.
If you further consider that many people’s eating habits (and possibly even permanent physiological changes) are set during childhood, it seems like behavioral changes in children may play a big part, with the main culprit being television (and now video games and/or personal computers).
10. Marie
July 14, 2009
11:29 PM
As referenced by a poster above, I think it is mostly the aging of the population. As we age, we gain weight, normally. Until we hit 60 or so.
I don’t know why few seem to notice the correlation between the age of a population and the weight of a population.
The other nations who are increasing in obesity are probably getting up to higher life expectancies, too, and thus an older median age.
11. J.P.H.
July 15, 2009
9:18 AM
Well, I wasn’t trying to say that aging completely explained the weight gain. Just that it was a contributing factor. If you look at specific age groups, each group has also “gained weight” over time.
12. Jess
July 15, 2009
2:01 PM
I wish that Mr. Tubbs had written the first article instead of the second, but I must say their proximity on your post was enough for me.
Post Your Comment Here »